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Migrants "brought to the limit" the most liberal country in Europe

Last weekend in Sweden held parliamentary elections, which were marked by unprecedented success for the nationalists. The party "Swedish Democrats" scored 18%, improving its previous result by 5%. The bloc of Social Democrats, who ruled since 2014, and the Right Alliance got the same result - about 40% each.

Why elections in the Scandinavian state matter for Europe?

The most liberal country in the EU

Sweden is one of the most liberal countries in Europe. The rights of sexual minorities and openness to foreigners are the constituent parts of the Swedish world outlook being grafted "from above." The parliament is seriously discussing the legalization of incest. During the migration crisis of 2015, Sweden converted to the largest number of refugees per capita, even ahead of Germany.

The strengthening of nationalists in the most liberal country, as noted in the party of Emmanuel Macron, is an "alarming signal" for Western Europe, which earlier thundered in Italy and Austria. Negative manifestations of migration (acts of terrorism, rape), which were experienced by Germany, France and other EU countries, did not bypass and Sweden. The most revealing moment is the truck's impact on a crowd of people in Stockholm in April 2017.

The triumph of the "Swedish Democrats" is a litmus test of the mood of European society in relation to migration and traditions. Now it is clear that the victory of the right is not an exception, but a tectonic shift in European politics, which is likely to continue in other parts of the European Union. This is also promoted by Donald Trump's former adviser Steve Bannon, who formed the Movement, uniting nationalists from all over Europe: the French National Front, the German Alternative for Germany, the Austrian Freedom Party, and so on. Bannon expects to increase the presence of nationalists in the European Parliament after the elections in May 2019.

The Legacy of Charles XII

The second paradox is that in one of the most anti-Russian-minded countries of the European Union (along with Poland and the Baltics), the influence of forces that favor normalization of relations with Russia is growing.

The former chairman of the "Swedish Democrats" Mikael Jansson openly admired Vladimir Putin and criticized the deployment of NATO troops in Sweden. And the current leader of the nationalists, Yimmi Okesson, once fell under the fire of criticism because he raised his eyebrows at the question, whose beliefs are closer to him - Putin or Macron. The accusation of "Swedish Democrats" in sympathizing with Russia is one of the main instruments of pressure on them of "mainstream parties". So, the former head of the Defense Ministry Mikael Udenberg after the elections said that the nationalists have long met Putin with open arms.

These changes are taking place in Sweden, whose King Charles XII, like Napoleon and Hitler, tried unsuccessfully to conquer Russia. At the present stage, after the collapse of the USSR, the Swedes continued pressure on Moscow, using the support of the EU. Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt was at the forefront of the Eastern Partnership project aimed at rejecting the countries of Transcaucasia, Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova from Russia.

It is clear that the votes of nationalists are not enough to enter the coalition government. Although the victorious alliances also do not hold up to single-handedly rule the country. Given the disagreements between the right and left-centrist, the "Swedish Democrats" theoretically have a chance to become a junior partner in the alliance with center-rightists. Following the example of Austria. But even if they fail to achieve this, the increase in the number of deputies in the Riksdag can be considered as another triumph for Eurosceptics.